Until the Sun Rises
by MagicMan01
Summary: This is the night I fear the most; the night of the new moon. Rated T for some suspense. Written in first-person. Oneshot.


**As the summary suggests, this is a oneshot that delves into our favorite half-demon's mind during the night of the monthly new moon. As always, when finished, please give me a review on your thoughts for this story. Thank you!**

**-Disclaimer- I don't own Inuyasha (InuYasha, whatever) **_**at all**_**. It belongs to Ms. Rumiko Takahashi and will probably always stay that way. I only claim ownership to this original story.**

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_**Until the Sun Rises**_

Overhead, the night sky is dark and ominous. There are no stars out tonight. No moon, either. I look up to where I think it would be and imagine it there instead of just utter blackness. But nothing shows. The sky is not on my side tonight. I sigh to myself and return my gaze directly in front of me as I walk.

The forest is one of the most dangerous places to be within at night, but it can also be the safest; as long as you know where to look. I continue my trek, stepping carefully over natural debris my poor human eyes can't see in these conditions. My ears, now human-like and at the sides of my head instead of on top of it, cannot detect the sounds they normally could if I were in my half-demon form. My nose is much less sensitive and can no longer pick up important scents and trails. My bodily senses are severely weakened.

My fangs and claws are gone. My strength and speed are now only that of a mortal human. I cannot attack or defend; only run. I don't enjoy this night of the month, but I've learned to live with it. Just like I learned to be "different" ever since I was a small child.

I can only hope and pray that no demons will attack me tonight, although I'm sure there are still quite a few out there who weren't completely satisfied by their last meal and are looking for a midnight snack. But even if I _am _attacked, even if a village nearby hears my cries of distress, no one will come looking for me. No one comes into this forest anymore, not even in the daytime. They consider it far too dangerous to even try hunting.

I stop for a moment, moving my head every which direction and trying to get my bearings when suddenly, I realize where I am. It's nearby. I can't see it, or anything else, for that matter, but I can sense it. I can _feel_ it. I move in the direction I believe it to be and keep pressing forward.

Every step I take feels like a step closer to becoming myself again. This form is only a disguise to hide the fact that I'm not completely human, nor demon, but rather... somewhere in between. It's a monthly test to see whether or not I'm worthy of life. In my short years in this world, I've learned that life can be taken away just as easily as it can be created and is not to be taken for granted.

I pause in my movement when I hear growling. Trembling and on the alert, I try to calm myself down and spot my oppressor. Spinning around in circles, I frantically attempt to locate the being that wishes to do me harm. My heart rate picks up when I hear it again, louder and closer this time. I break off into a run towards safety, constantly looking over my shoulder to see if I'm being pursued. This is the one night out of the whole month that I am truly afraid.

It sounds like it's getting closer. I run faster and begin to sprint. I can almost feel the creature's breath on the back of my neck as I try to escape it. My long, dark hair waves in front of my face as my speed increases. Just a little further. Just a little more and I'll be there. I know it's safe because nothing ever goes there. Nothing's ever bothered me there before.

Running as fast as I can in this state, I try to make out the shape of my safety in almost total darkness. Even in darkness, however, I can find it. I know it very well. I see it coming up and run even faster, my lungs burning now.

The creature seems to have more endurance than I and is still hot on my trail. Without having to turn around, I can tell it is only mere feet behind me. If I trip or stumble for even a split-second, I'm dead. I mustn't falter if I wish to survive.

_Closer..._

The creature is a single foot behind me now, lining itself up to pounce me. A couple of feet would be more than enough to finish me off.

_Closer..._

I'm running out of breath and getting winded, struggling to stay ahead of the beast. I can already envision myself being devoured by this savage being.

_CLOSER..._

It's only inches away now, about to leap forward to take me down. Surely, this must be the end.

_NOW!_

I make a sharp left and dive into the mouth of the cave, rolling onto the hard stone carved out by centuries of erosion. Panting and struggling to catch my breath, I ease myself onto my back and stare up at the low ceiling, lying in a spread eagle position and feeling my chest rise and lower as the air starts to circulate through my body again.

When my breath returns to me and my pulse is normal once more, I slowly sit up and groan when I feel the bruises from the fall I took that I'm going to have tomorrow. Even if they disappear shortly after returning to my true form, they're still going to hurt and are probably going to be difficult to sleep on tonight. I put my hands behind me and stretch my back out, rubbing at the injured flesh to try soothing my tired body.

But I'm alive. It's a small price to pay for living to see another day. I'll gladly take being slightly uncomfortable over being digested anytime.

I hear the accursed growling again and look up to the cave entrance. I can hear the beast, but I can't see it. Even if it did attack me from within here, I'd probably never see its form due to the darkness.

Suddenly, it appears in one swift movement, bounding towards the cave entrance and stopping just short of coming in. I reflexively gasp and start to quickly back up, still on the ground. All it has to do is venture a little further and it will be well within the kill zone. After all, this cave is less than ten feet wide and only about twenty or so feet deep. I'm practically a trapped animal at this point. It has every advantage over me and looks at me with pure malice, almost like it recognizes that and wants me to know it.

But it doesn't proceed. It snarls a little and growls some more at the entrance, trying to frighten and taunt me, but it doesn't go any further than that. At first, I'm wary and a little scared, but I soon slowly stand up and challenge the beast with a confident stare. A small, victorious smile finds its way across my lips. I take a step forward and the thing runs off, still aggressive but no longer chasing me. I never actually saw what it truly looked like, but from what I could tell, it was at least twice my size.

I still don't know why the demons of the forest find this cave as taboo, but I'll take it as a blessing and avoid questioning it for fear of breaking my protection. Some say that a powerful priestess once came here and put up a barrier to ward off any demons. Whether or not this is genuine, I'm not sure, but it doesn't really matter to me.

I turn around and walk towards the back of the cave, the surface cool and hard under my feet. I get down on my hands and knees, searching for what I've stashed away here. I find it quickly enough and get up to take it closer to the mouth of the cave. When I realized this time was drawing near, I went out and gathered this cache to prepare myself well in advance for the night I would really need it.

I set the materials down and begin making a fire in the dark. I feel two sticks and begin rubbing them together to create enough friction to cause the fire. I feel the one on top break and curse to myself as I seek out another one. Starting the process over again, I do the same thing for a few minutes before I begin to smell smoke, at which I point, I rub them even harder. Soon, a small flame appears and I immediately drop to my knees to blow on it.

The flame slowly grows larger and I add on some small twigs to build it up. Those catch up, too, and I continue adding more and more until it's a decent-sized campfire that will keep me warm throughout the night. Satisfied with the fire, I sit up against the wall and remove my jacket, lying it down on the ground for me to sleep on. I lie on my side and pillow my arm under my head, sighing as I watch the fire sizzle and crack.

I hear the sounds of raindrops and glance outside to see it lightly drizzling. It soon turns into a downpour and I consider myself even luckier now for having found this place. Thinking of my mother and a few other pleasant things before I slip into unconsciousness, I slowly close my eyes and drift off into sleep, where I will remain in my human form until the sun rises once again.

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**Though it was pretty short, I hope you all thought that was entertaining! I really wasn't planning for the story to go in this kind of thriller direction, but I found that it was certainly a nice change-up from my usual brand of work. Anyhow, once again, thanks for reading, and remember; please review!**

**A/N: And yes, in case any of you who were wondering, the "powerful priestess" mentioned in this oneshot is Kiky****ō. This is supposed to take place before he meets her, which is why he doesn't know her name and has never actually seen her before. Also, I thought about making this slightly more descriptive, but keep in mind that this is supposed to be an **_**average**_** night for Inuyasha when he's human, not specifically one in particular. Hope that cleared up any questions or concerns.**


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